This is my first electric DIY job and I thought I couldn't go wrong - I bought a standard pendant set from Homebase to replace the current tatty set and the instructions appeared straight forward. When I removed the old one I had no idea how to identify which of the 3 cables was the switch cable. I wired up to the housing what I knew for sure ie the earths and the lives. I stupidly thought that the neutrals could be swapped around until the light worked! When I switched it on the fuse blew, I replaced the fuse, the lights downstairs work but there is no action upstairs. I have no intentions of trying to fix this - I have an electrician coming in the morning, however I would like to satisfy my curiosity as to a) what exactly happened when I 'switched the light on'? and b) will this be expensive to fix?
Ceiling Rose Disaster - Please Help
- Thread starter andrewbolton
- Start date
Sponsored Links
One of the "neutrals" (i.e a black wire) is not actually a neutral but a switch wire and should be marked red (with tape or sleeving)
good job I read this post - I have to tackle a similar job after the old Ceiling Rose plastic disintegrated and fell out of the ceiling! I've made a mental note to see what connects to where before dismantling and if the new Rose doesn't have the same connections I'll leave it to the electrician.
Sponsored Links
nstreet said:MilindPuri said:
Better to do a sketch after marking cables with a felt tip pen, or even better, take a photo with the digi camera.
Good tip - thanks!
- Joined
- 22 Oct 2005
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
I have a similar problem but I'm further down the road to disaster, so any advice would be gratefully received.
I'm replacing a ceiling rose, which had three cables into it, each with red cable, black cable and the earth.
My new fitting has only terminals for live, neutral and earth and so I wired all the blacks to live, all the reds to neutral as well as connecting the earths. This was before I knew of the existence of switched live as being something different to live........
I now have a downstairs lighting circuit which is as the proverbial dodo, and a RCD for this circuit that is similarly dead.
Help, please .... how do I get myself out of this mess?
I'm replacing a ceiling rose, which had three cables into it, each with red cable, black cable and the earth.
My new fitting has only terminals for live, neutral and earth and so I wired all the blacks to live, all the reds to neutral as well as connecting the earths. This was before I knew of the existence of switched live as being something different to live........
I now have a downstairs lighting circuit which is as the proverbial dodo, and a RCD for this circuit that is similarly dead.
Help, please .... how do I get myself out of this mess?
blacks to live? reds to neutral? hope thats a typo, not that it would matter, still going to create a dead short through the switch. Connect all the reds together (except the lamp wire). Connect all the blacks together (except the switched live which is black - use a continuity tester to find which cable goes to the switch). Connect all earths together. Now, the 2 wires you have left, connect together. Done. You will need another bit of chock block for this.
- Joined
- 22 Oct 2005
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
Ooops - yes, the reds/blacks was a typo. I'm proving myself to be a real dolt this afternoon....
Thanks for the advice - apologies, but I don't quite understand all of it?
What do you mean by the "lamp wire"? And I cant see how I'll have 2 wires left if I've connected all the reds, and all the blacks except the switched live - surely I'll just have the (single) switched live left?
Lastly, the 6A circuit breaker on the consumer unit in the garage is now irretriveably dead. Are these things easily replaceable?
TIA
Thanks for the advice - apologies, but I don't quite understand all of it?
What do you mean by the "lamp wire"? And I cant see how I'll have 2 wires left if I've connected all the reds, and all the blacks except the switched live - surely I'll just have the (single) switched live left?
Lastly, the 6A circuit breaker on the consumer unit in the garage is now irretriveably dead. Are these things easily replaceable?
TIA
This sounds like a Buster Keaton movie.
Simple solution and explanation.
Switch off power to the lighting circuit.
It sounds like you have 3 cables each with a red (normally live), black (normally neutral) and Yellow and green (earth).
Assuming you have a standard ceiling rose with two holes on one side (one containing the brown live to the bulb) three in the centre marked 'common' and two to the other side (one containing the blue neutral for the bulb)
Using a multimeter or continuity tester find out which of the three cables is the switch. Do this by switching the switch to the on position and testing continuity between each of the cables between red and black. Once you find a positive reading you know that is the switch cable.
Then connect the three reds to common live (normally the three middle holes in the ceiling rose), the two non switch blacks to neutral (two holes on the side of the ceiling rose for neutral) and the switch black to the live input on the ceiling rose.
3 x Earth go to earth connection
Voila light should work.
Simple solution and explanation.
Switch off power to the lighting circuit.
It sounds like you have 3 cables each with a red (normally live), black (normally neutral) and Yellow and green (earth).
Assuming you have a standard ceiling rose with two holes on one side (one containing the brown live to the bulb) three in the centre marked 'common' and two to the other side (one containing the blue neutral for the bulb)
Using a multimeter or continuity tester find out which of the three cables is the switch. Do this by switching the switch to the on position and testing continuity between each of the cables between red and black. Once you find a positive reading you know that is the switch cable.
Then connect the three reds to common live (normally the three middle holes in the ceiling rose), the two non switch blacks to neutral (two holes on the side of the ceiling rose for neutral) and the switch black to the live input on the ceiling rose.
3 x Earth go to earth connection
Voila light should work.
"lamp wire" sorry i didnt quite explain it as good as i could. The live from the light fitting is what i meant here. Connect this to the switched live BLACK from the switch cable. Then connect the rest of the lives together and the neutrals (including the one from the fitting) together and the earths together.Dirk Gently said:
- Joined
- 22 Oct 2005
- Messages
- 7
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
Nijinski001 said:
God, don't I know it...... I'm starting to wish I never got up this morning.....
Thanks for the clear explanation, just one thing now confuses me, which is the fact that I'm not using a ceiling rose - what I've got is a light fitting which just has live, neutral and earth.
In this situation, where should my six wires go (and once I've worked out which is the switch pair)?
BTW, you guys are stars. What would poor dolts like me do otherwise when we screw up....
andrewbolton, MilindPuri, Dirk Gently - this should show you why there are the cables that there are at each rose - it builds up step by step.
For clarity, the earths in the switch drops are not shown, but should be connected, and the cables are shown unsheathed.
The lounge and kitchen switch drops show the two correct methods - either using red/red or red/black with red sleeving on the black. The dining room shows what most people find, which is no sleeving
For clarity, the earths in the switch drops are not shown, but should be connected, and the cables are shown unsheathed.
The lounge and kitchen switch drops show the two correct methods - either using red/red or red/black with red sleeving on the black. The dining room shows what most people find, which is no sleeving
I didn't make this, so don't blame me for the tape. Using a choc-box would be better...Dirk Gently said:
Hey BAS your a mine of information, quotes and diagrams. Where do you get them all from?
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
